


free fallin'

by thesiege



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Adrinette, Alternate Universe - College/University, Cute, DJWifi, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Heartrate, M/M, Meet-Cute, OOC, let's just always assume ooc lol, may add more characters as we gooooo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-08-16 12:11:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8101948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesiege/pseuds/thesiege
Summary: —and all the bad boys are standing in the shadows / all the good girls are home with broken hearts—(tom petty & the heartbreakers)[college/uni au; multiple pairings]





	1. got milk?

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug or anything else you recognize. I also disclaim in advance every chapter following this so I don't have to include this every single chapter lol.
> 
> This was written a while ago, and the author's notes too (though I do update those! lol), but I haven't updated it in a while. Also, I suddenly have like a ton of schoolwork to do this week??? But I'll definitely try to write something (because these are supposed to be short after all).
> 
> Hey everyone! Back at it again with the ML, indeed I am. This was inspired by a real scenario; my friend and I were in Safeway and she was tryna get her milk but couldn't reach so I (Alya is me ofc) had a great idea and told her to use her purse to lasso it and she failed and I really wanted to try myself but I didn't have a purse and I didn't wanna accidentally break hers (I'm rather destructive) and then this Asian guy came over with a serious but also kinda "wtf are you doing you idiots" expression and offered to help and he totally was NOT as smooth as Adrien (I think he hit his arm on the top of the fridge thing when he pulled out the milk) and then he left AND I KNOW HE WAS WITH AT LEAST ONE OTHER PERSON BECAUSE AFTER HE LEFT I DISTINCTLY HEARD HIM TALKING ABOUT US LIKE "—omg they were trying to LASSO the milk can you believe—" like thanks but also like fuck you judgey person we do what we want ahahahahaha ANYHOO COLLEGE ADVENTURES YAY
> 
> Also I ship Heartrate so hard tbh. I THINK THEY ARE SO CUTE
> 
> Wow ok Google Docs thinks "well" should be "we'll" but also thinks "smilked" is a word smh. Totally let me know if you catch errors because apparently I didn't proofread well enough the first 5 times ughhhhh

Marinette and Alya chattered happily as they entered the grocery store and grabbed a cart. 

"—and then she took off and beat him by a whole second!" Marinette grinned triumphantly.

Alya shook her head. "Kim never stood a chance this time around. Alix has been practically living in her skates. Girl power goin' strong!"

Marinette laughed and nodded as she looked through the aisles of fruit. "I think they're kinda cute though. I ship 'em."

"Who? Alix and Kim?" Alya raised a skeptical eyebrow, trailing behind with the cart and picking up strawberries and oranges.

"Yeah! You don't see it? The UST?" At her best friend's confused look, Marinette dropped her bag of apples into the cart and sighed, making random gestures. "Unresolved sexual tension! It's so obvious. They're perfect for each other! They treat each other like equals, they challenge each other, they enjoy the other's company—"

"Uh, excuse, me," Alya butted in. "Are we talking about the same Alix and Kim here? 'Cause every time I see them together, they're glaring at each other and spitting insults."

"No, they're smirking! They have fun betting against each other, otherwise they wouldn't keep doing it." Marinette nodded sagely as she picked up some tofu. "The insults are hiding their affection for each other. It's true!" Marinette insisted, pouting.

Alya shrugged. "If you say so." She pushed the cart forward towards the dairy section.

Marinette grabbed some spinach and carrots and raced after the cart. "Oh come on, Alya, it's so obvious! You really don't see it? Even Rose and Juleka and Nathanael think so!"

Alya gave her a flat look. "Okay, first of all? Nathanael worships the ground you walk on, so of course he'd agree with you."

Marinette flushed. "No he does—"

"Second. Rose and Juleka," Alya continued, ignoring Marinette's flustered protests, "are in love with each other and see the world through rose-colored love glasses. They'll ship anyone."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Fine. Fine! Don't believe me! You'll see. One day, you'll suddenly receive an invitation to their wedding and then I'll say 'I told you so'!"

"Baby steps, Marinette, let's see if they start dating first," Alya said in wry amusement. She reached into the milk section and grabbed a carton of almond milk.

Marinette made a face. "Are you still drinking that stuff? It's so—watery. Or something. Regular milk is so much better."

"People like you who never gain weight would never understand a decision such as this." Alya shook her head mock-sadly.

"Alya! I've gained so much weight in this past year, what are you even talking about!" She playfully shoved Alya. "Honestly, if you're gaining weight, it's not the milk's fault. But you're gorgeous and have actual curves so I really dunno what you're talking about."

She stepped forward and stretched up onto her tiptoes, straining to reach the organic two-percent milk but there were only two cartons left and they were shoved all the way to the back. She flailed her fingers to no avail.

Alya watched on in amusement. "Oh! I have an idea!" She held a fist in the air and waved it around. "Lasso it! Use your purse to lasso it!"

"What?" Marinette giggled. "No!"

"You can do it! Use your purse strap! Go on, try it!"

"Oh my goodness," Marinette laughed as she obligingly pulled her purse over her head and stepped up to the milk again. "I can't believe I'm doing this! Alya! If we get in trouble, I'm blaming you completely!"

Alya was too busy dying of laughter.

Marinette held the body of her purse in her left hand and gripped the two sides of the strap in the other, swinging it slightly before launching it towards her desired milk. It fell short by a little. She tried again, grinning in embarrassment, but the strap slid uselessly off the top of the carton, failing to snag onto any part of it. She stumbled back, unable to suppress her giggles, and turned to Alya for help.

Alya was doubled over, guffawing silently.

"Uhh...do you two need some help?"

Marinette's immediate reaction was to spurn any need for mental help before realizing that the stranger was not asking if she and Alya were mentally ill and were instead offering genuine help.

She and Alya panted and straightened to look at the kind stranger—and then Marinette lost her breath again.

There were two boys, but only the boy in front appeared concerned. He was blond, with gorgeous green eyes and flawless skin and his face was defined by the golden ratio. He was tall and lean and beautiful. The boy behind him—baseball cap, glasses, headphones—was turned away and covering his mouth, but his shoulders were trembling, a clear sign of suppressed mirth.

Alya chuckled some more and finally answered, "Um, yeah, my friend was just trying to reach the milk but it's too far back."

"Okay! Lemme see if I can get it for you." He smiled and Marinette swore she heard angels sing. She squeaked.

Alya shot her a smug look. Marinette groaned, preparing herself for teasing on the way home.

The other boy, the one in the cap, finally turned to them with a large grin and smiling eyes. He glanced between the two of them before finally settling on the purse in Marinette's hands, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Seriously? Lassoing?"

"Hey, it was our only idea." Alya shrugged, smiling. "I thought it could work."

Marinette was still in a trance as she stared at the blond, who was straining his arm towards her milk. His fingers just brushed the top and with a little hop, he snatched it and pulled it out in one smooth motion.

"Ah-ha!" He turned back with a victorious grin and held out the milk to Marinette. "Here you are."

"Oh! U-um., th-thank you so m-much," Marinette stammered as she shyly accepted the carton, blushing hard and barely meeting his eyes.

He smilked kindly and pinked slightly, scratching the back of his head in an adorably bashful manner. "Aw shucks, you're welcome."

Marinette beamed as she watched him exchange a few words with Alya before leaving with his friend, looking back and sending her one last smile before they turned the corner and disappeared. Alya came over and nudged her arm, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Marinette rolled her eyes and went to put her milk in their cart.

Then she frowned as his final words registered in her brain. Did he actually say "aw shucks"?


	2. on stubborn best friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it continues! You better believe I threw in an intro scene in there because NINO FINALLY GOT A LAST NAME WUT WUUUUUUUUUUUUUT had to do it man I had to
> 
> Tried to make the conversation realistic, but I think it just got really wordy? IDK lemme know what you think and what you'd like to see in this story! These shorts will be loosely connected, all in the same au universe, multiple pairings (mainly adrinette, djwifi, heartrate cuz I love them), it's just gonna be a simple story about all these characters and their lives during school and their relationships with each other. No discernible plot at the moment lol.
> 
> I'm lamenting the very obvious lack of Tikki and Plagg and Chat Noir and Ladybug but yeah maybe I'll include it all in some other way. :D
> 
> See you in the next one! I'm dying for season 2 JUST LET ME HAVE ITTTTTTTTTTT

Nino walked into his video editing and production lecture hall and glanced around for an empty seat. He was twenty minutes early for once, thanks to Adrien's frantic scrambling this morning getting ready for a last-minute shoot with Rose. He'd woken Nino up, apologized, and sprinted off like zombies were chasing after him.

There were only a few people sitting in the large room, mostly leftovers from the previous lecture and maybe a few early birds. He spotted a vaguely familiar bush of orange ombre hair and suddenly recalled the two crazy girls from the store last week. Chuckling at the memory, he made his way through the seats and approached her as she typed furiously on her laptop.

"Hey, you're one of the girls from the store, right? The milk girls?" Nino made a lassoing gesture.

Alya sighed. "Milk girls? Really?"

Nino shrugged and smirked,

Alya rolled her eyes and finally looked up at him with a friendly smile. "Yep, that's me, a milk girl. Name's Alya Cesaire." She stuck her hand in the air and he shook it.

"Nino Lahiffe. Nice to meet you." He smiled wider and sat down next to her. "Mind if I sit here?"

"No, go ahead. So what are you doing here?" She .closed her laptop and gave him her full attention as he made himself comfortable.

"I have lecture here in about fifteen minutes. You?"

"Same!" Alya stared at him in surprise. "You're in that class? How have I never seen you?"

Nino shrugged. "I'm always late."

"Ah, I  see." Alya nods knowingly. "Are you taking this class for fun, or?"

"Kinda? I dunno, I like music and like making music videos so I kinda took it for that. It also sounded fun, but we haven't really done anything interesting so far."

Alya shrugged. "Well, it is an intro class. I hadn't realized it was this basic though. I run a vlog so I wanted to learn how to improve my videos, but we haven't even started filming stuff yet." She shook her head. "I hope this isn't a waste of a class."

"Yeah. Well, it's only been a couple weeks, I guess." They fell into silence for a few moments. It wasn't exactly awkward, but it definitely wasn't comfortable. It was obvious they were both struggling for something to say. Finally, Nino blurted, "How's your friend? Is she enjoying her milk?"

Alya's laugh rang out, surprised and unintentional. "Always back to the milk, huh? Yeah, she's great, loving her milk. She's always so busy and stressed, and she forgets to eat sometimes, but she at least drinks the milk." Alya sighed in frustration.

"Why's she so busy?" Nino asked, hoping he wasn't overstepping boundaries.

"She's just—" Alya's face contort and her fingers flutter as she tries to figure out how to explain her best friend. "She's just so—willing. To do everything. Like, okay, school, of course, takes up a lot of her time and she's studying fashion design so she takes a lot of project-based classes which are really time-consuming." Nino nods in agreement. "Then aside from that, she's interning this semester at Agreste—which is amazing, obviously but really tiring—and on top of that, she insists on helping out at her parents' bakery, even though they can totally manage without her. It's her family bonding time every weekend, so I guess I understand."

Nino whistles in admiration. "Wow. She's ambitious. But it seems like she's capable? Interning at Agreste? That's awesome! Most of the people there are really nice."

Alya raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"Remember my blonde friend from the store? Tall, green eyes, really pretty?"

Alya giggled but nodded. "Really, really pretty."

Nino snorted. "His dad owns Agreste so he grew up around the company and when I became friends with him, I started hanging around them too. Does your friend like it there?"

"Oh, she loves it. It's been her dream to work with one of the biggest names in fashion and she's doing it and based on what she tells me, it's really challenging and inspiring." She exhaled. "I just wish she would love it a little healthier. She rarely gets a full night's sleep and I'm just—really worried about her?" She shook her head. "Oh my gosh, sorry for babbling!"

Nino laughed. "Nah, it's cool. I totally feel you, Adrien is kinda the same way. His dad pushed him really hard when he was younger so I think he's just used to being busy all the time. His diet was really regulated too, since he modeled for his dad's company a lot, so he's used to skipping meals, even though he loves food. Sometimes I just wanna shove bread down his throat, ya know?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

Suddenly, the volume of the room erupted and Nino and Alya jolted back to reality, where they realized that as they had been speaking, the room had gradually filled to capacity and their professor was already set up, preparing to begin lecture.

Nino and Alya looked at each other and then laughed a little.

"Looks like lecture's starting," Alya commented.

Nino nodded and they both pulled out their notebooks to take notes.

The hour passed quickly, even though the professor was still talking about the history of video production and its relevance in modern times. Alya and Nino shared the occasional comment and exchanged numbers when class ended.

They each left with a grin and a new friend.


	3. where is the passion when you need it the most

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY long note at the end. I'm so sorry, totally don't read it if you don't want to, lol, it's nothing super important. I just like explaining my motivations behind certain chapters sometimes. :D

Today was a bad day.

Marinette didn't often have bad days. It wasn't that bad or embarrassing things didn't happen to her—oh no, no, no, not klutzy Marinette, no, that was _definitely_ not it; it was simply that she didn't let such negativity stress her out. Usually before the end of the day, something happy would happen and she would be cheered right up.

Usually.

Today was not such a day.

Today was a legitimately bad day, and Marinette just wanted it to be over. Well, technically, it was over, since it was three in the morning of tomorrow—today?—already, but since she hadn't gone to sleep yet, she didn't consider today—yesterday?—today!—over yet.

Today included a series of annoyances and disappointments that left her with an overall feeling of unease that pressed down on her chest and gave her difficulty breathing in moments when she felt her stress almost visibly increasing. Today was ripped fabric, needle stabs, blood stains, stubbed toes, bruised knees, aching wrists, regretful sighs, rookie mistakes, and mounting frustration. Her first project for one of her design classes was due in two days and she hadn't had enough time to truly work on it before this week, so she was cramming now, but she was starting to wonder if she was going to finish on time with anything worth even a C.

It was three AM and Marinette was finally going home—or, she should say, she was finally leaving her work bench because no, she had _not_ left its vicinity for the entire day. Thank god for the large and beautiful window right in front of her work space because it provided natural light and a gorgeous view of the gorgeous weather that she did not get to experience, as well as reminding her that was, indeed, still alive and on planet Earth. (Hour fourteen had been weird. _Really_ weird. She was glad she hadn't done anything too incriminating and had sobered up by hour fifteen.)

The class focused on couple designs and the theme for this first project was "funky formal," nothing mind-blowing. It really shouldn't have been so hard, but she was desperately low on inspiration. She really didn't like either of the outfits she'd designed; they didn't feel like they fit together, which was an essential element of designing couple outfits, and they were undeniably boring. She actually might have been glad someone had tripped and sliced a pair of scissors down the length of the bland dress she'd been working on if it didn't set her back at least another day of measuring and cutting and sewing. And to think she still needed models to present her designs to the class! That meant there was fitting to do, and oh, of course, _actually finding models_. She resigned herself to modeling the woman's outfit (she was _so_ not model material) but she still needed a male model and she definitely didn't know where to find one.

She wanted to cry.

Instead she rubbed her tired eyes and shoved as much of her materials as she could into her large purse, then bundled up the rest and carried it in her arms. The walk home wasn't long, ten minutes maybe, but it was past midnight and she was exhausted. She hoped she didn't pass out on her way home or get mugged or something. Campus was usually pretty safe, right?

Marinette yawned loudly, wincing when her jaw cracked. As she walked along the dark roads across campus, she muttered to herself about everything she had to do tomorrow.

"Wake up at eight...nine? No, you can't do that, you can't _afford_ to, seriously Marinette, get it together. You have _two days_ to get this done, c'mon, think! Okay, so get up at eight, maybe seven if possible, definitely shower to wake myself up...some coffee, coffee for sure. Then tea? Throughout the day, tea has caffeine too, okay, cool, and then...re-design? Ugh, my sketches are so ugly, _ughhh_ , but I don't have any other ideas...maybe something more old-fashioned? Ugh, no, that's not what I _want_...what do I want? I don't know! I don't _knooooooow_..."

"Are...you okay?"

She screamed, jumped five feet in the air, and, naturally, dropped all of her belongings.

The stranger flinched in reaction and scrambled to pick up her stuff. "Oh! Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I should've—I mean, obviously that was really creepy of me, I just—I mean, you sounded kinda, like, _in pain_ or something so I thought—well, I should've walked louder or something—wait, no, is that even creepier? Hold on—"

"Um," Marinette squeaked.

The figure froze in the darkness, crouched on the ground. He was obviously a "he" (while his voice wasn't that deep, there was something very boyish about it) and he was clad in all black, a hood covering his hair. Slowly, he stood and held out her things, his face turned to the side.

"I'm really sorry for scaring you," he mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh—no, sorry, I just—I wasn't expecting—thank you," Marinette stammered as she shyly accepted her things. "I'm—I'm sorry for screaming."

"No!" He turned to her quickly, finally looking at her. "No, it was my fault, I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that."

Marinette gasped.

Under the dim lighting of the street lamp, she could see just a little tuft of golden hair from under his hood and the greenest eyes she'd ever seen, greener than grass. They glinted sharply, practically glowing in the dark, and looked almost feline. But that's not why Marinette was so surprised.

No, the reason she was so shocked she almost dropped all of her stuff a second time was that she _recognized_ him.

It was him! The beautiful boy from the store! the one who had helped her get her milk! The one who had witnessed one of her most embarrassing moments!

Yes, _that_ boy.

"You're—you're the girl from the store! Right?" he tacked on uncertainly, unsure if the lighting was creating illusions.

She nodded dumbly.

"Oh, wow! What a coincidence. Do you go here? What are you doing here this late? Or early, I guess. Is this still considered night time or is it technically morning?"

Marinette blushed. She was still stuck on the fact that this was that boy. And he'd helped her again.

He noticed her discomfort and misinterpreted it. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. I'm clearly making you uncomfortable after creeping up on you like that, oh my god."

"No!" she blurted, shaking her head. "No, that's not it at all! I just—I—well, I'm still shocked that I ran into you again. I—I didn't really get to thank you properly last time, but I never thought I'd get the chance...anyway, you're not making me uncomfortable. Definitely not." She laughed awkwardly.

"It wasn't a big deal, no need to thank me." He scratched the back of his head with a shy smile. His eyes flickered over her burdened person and again at the dark sky and he frowned. "What are you doing out alone so late?"

"Oh! Well, I, uh, lost track of time." She ducked her head sheepishly, partly because she was embarrassed but mostly because looking at him made air hard to breathe. "I have this—this project due in a couple days and—well, I'm really behind. So I've been working on it all day but..." She sighed heavily. "I don't like what I've come up with. It's...uninspired."

"What kind of project is it?" He tilted his head in curiosity and he looked so cute she almost melted—and so strangely catlike.

"Design. Clothing." She flushed ( _how articulate, Marinette_ ). "Um, I'm majoring in fashion design. This is one of my design classes. It's focused on couple designs. I just...haven't had any good ideas lately." She blew out air harshly, making her bangs fly up and flop down.

"Oh, wow, that's awesome! Fashion design—wow. Fashion's always been a huge part of my life, but I could never create clothes. That's just—wow." He sounded really impressed.

Marinette reddened further. "I—I'm not really that good. I just—really like it. It's fun—when I'm inspired." She peeked at him from underneath her lashes.

He was smiling at her, looking like an actual angel. But at the same time, she could not stop seeing him with cat ears and a little golden bell around his neck. She imagined little cats ears sitting in his hair, a shiny black leather suit jacket on top of a green silk waistcoat. Black collared shirt, of course, in a breathable fabric, linen maybe. High-waisted leather pants tailored to the shape of his legs and tucked into black combat boots—again, leather? Or no?—and cinched with an extra long and malleable black belt to dangle loosely behind him like a tail. Gold accents, of course: buttons, belt buckle, maybe the shoelace eyelets on his boots—all to match the golden bell that would take the place of a necktie.

She sucked in sharply.

"Er, is something wrong? Are you okay? You spaced out for a bit there and..."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I just...I was just looking at you—I mean, no, well, yes, but I just—I've got it! I can see it! It's perfect, I just—would you be my model?"

The boy took a step back, surprised and bewildered. "Uh, what?"

Marinette hurried to explain. "No, well, see, I just—when I look at you, I don't know why, but I keep seeing you as a black cat, maybe it's your eyes? I don't know, but now I keep thinking of this black-cat-inspired three-piece suit and...well, I would—it would be really perfect if you were my model. Since you kinda, you know, inspired it. Kinda." She bit her lip, hard.

He didn't say anything for a long time. He seemed to be thinking.

Drooping, Marinette quickly reassured him, "You don't have to! Oh my god, this is probably super awkward, a total stranger asking you to model for her, right? Oh god, I—I'm so sorry, I'm really tired, I must not be thinking straight—I can just ask a friend to model for me, don't even worry—"

"No, no, it's okay! I'll do it. It sounds fun. I was just running through my schedule to see if I have time the next couple of days, and I do. And actually, you have no idea how ironic it is you say that about strangers asking me to model." He grinned sharply, completely different from the soft smiles she'd been bestowed previously, and dear lord, Marinette had not realized he could look any more like a mischievous black cat, but he managed it.

"Thank you! Thank you _so_ much, this means so much to me! And, I mean, are you sure? I'm not pressuring you, am I? You really don't have to if you're busy, I can _totally_ find someone else, I promise—"

He laughed and shook his head. "It's fine, it's fine, _I_ promise." Then he looked thoughtful. "But didn't you say the class is about couple designs?"

Marinette nodded fervently, then shrugged equally enthusiastically. She was so ecstatic that she'd come up with a design she actually liked that she couldn't be bothered to worry about the female outfit just yet. "Yes, but I'm sure I'll think of something. Maybe. Hopefully. I dunno."

He chuckled again. "If you say so." He looked like he was about to say something else, but then he frowned. "Actually, are you sure you want to use a black cat as inspiration? They're notoriously bad luck, you know. Though I guess it doesn't matter if you don't believe in luck. Some people don't." He looked disgruntled at the thought.

Marinette's eyes widened. "Oh. My. Goodness. You are a genius! Yes! That's perfect! They'll be opposites but two halves of a whole, like yin and yang...yes!"

"Wha—"

"Good luck and bad luck! Ladybugs and black cats! Do you _see_?" she squealed excitedly.

A slow smile grew on his face as he followed her train of thought. "You're right, that's ingenious, but _you're_ the one who came up with it."

" _You're_ the one who inspired it!" she argued laughingly, so happy she couldn't even feel shy.

He grinned. "Do you have a female model?"

"Mm, yeah, I'm gonna just use myself." She shrugged. "Easier."

He nodded, but she didn't notice, already busy planning. "Oh my _god_ , I have to get to work right away, I have to sketch and design and fabrics and oh god, so much sewing to do...and fitting, of course, and—"

"Whoa there, ladybug," he laughed. "I think you should get some sleep first, you look pretty tired."

She blushed and looked down. "Oh."

"Not! Not that you look— _bad_ or anything, just—look it's like—like four am so— _oh my god_ , when did it become four!? It was _just_ three! Crap, we should go. I'm so sorry for keeping you—"

"No! It was my fault—"

"No, I—can I walk you home? It's just so late and—but I understand if you're not comfortable with that, but be careful—"

"Oh, um, I wouldn't mind but you don't have to! Really, you should go home and sleep too."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't know you got home safe." He smiled. "Let's go?"

She nodded, suddenly wondering if this chance encounter was all a very lucid dream. Had she fallen asleep at her work bench again? Likely. There was no way this kind, beautiful boy was really here, walking her home after inspiring her designs—well, at least the dream was useful—and agreeing to be her model.

They walked quickly and soon reached her apartment building. She turned to him to thank him when he suddenly froze and looked at her with wide eyes.

"What? What's wrong?" Her tone grew panicky as the shock stayed on his face. "Did something happen?"

"I just realized," he said slowly, still staring at her, "that we haven't introduced ourselves."

Marinette blinked. And blinked. And almost collapsed in relief.

"That's _it_? I nearly had a heart attack! You scared me!" She leaned against the brick wall and sighed. "This is too much excitement for one night."

He laughed, then stuck his hand out and beamed. "It's great to officially meet you! I'm Adrien Agreste."

She moved to shake his hand but forgot that her arms were full. Her bundle began to fall and she flailed to catch it and the items falling from her purse but failed spectacularly and tripped instead on a piece of smooth fabric. She tipped forward and closed her eyes, squeaking out an apology in advance.

But he caught her.

Her face flattened into his chest heavily and he let out an "oomph" but he held onto her and neither of them fell over and onto the cement sidewalk.

"Are you okay?" he asked in alarm, pulling back to look at her.

She leaned back in his arms and nodded up at him. "Yes, thank you! I'm so sorry, I'm really clumsy and—this is so embarrassing—you keep helping me and _helping_ me and I just—I can't even walk straight—"

He snorted, and she felt it against her hand. Her heart beat faster as she realized how close they were standing, with his arms still wrapped loosely around her.

She stepped back quickly, bending down to gather her things, before straightening and stuttering, "I-I'm—my name is, um, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

And then she processed his words.

Her gaze shot to his with horror and awe. He blushed at her sudden attention.

"Did you just say _Agreste_!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This note is old and super long but I'll leave it because it's kinda relevant lol.)
> 
> I was inspired by my own legitimately bad day. Mari and bad days are basically me and bad days. I realized that I don't really have that many "bad days," I have days in which bad or humiliating or maybe sad things happen but that doesn't define the course of my day. I'm generally pretty easygoing and I try not to let things get to me too much (idk if I succeed but I try). But today was just...idk, it was kinda weird? Like i hung out with two of my close friends today before work and I just felt like it was kind of a waste of time, which I HATE to say about time with my friends but like one of them was literally too focused on Pokemon Go to really hang out? And the other wanted to play Pokemon Go too but she didn't have data and the wifi was spotty so she couldn't and it felt like she just kinda wanted to go home instead. And of course I, with my Windows phone (which is really not that bad! I like it! I like how all my stuff is synced together because yes I exclusively use Windows lol sorry if that offends you), cannot play Pokemon Go and so I...didn't feel left out exactly, they included me of course, but I felt like I could've been doing something so much more useful with that time like actually studying for my two classes rather than lounging around the Safeway plaza and becoming increasingly stressed about all the studying I have to do. TT_TT
> 
> And then of course I had work for 5 hours (which was supposed to be 4.5! But! They scheduled me half an hour earlier than they usually do on Fridays! Even though we closed at the same time! So I had to stay and clean up for an extra 30min like always! And I made my dad wait in the car for over 30min! WTF! If you want me to work till 10:30 then schedule me in till then, jfc!) and work is tedious and tiring and boring and long and annoying and I increasingly dislike it and want to quit but it's only been a month and I haven't found another job yet. So Idk. Maybe when school starts...if I can find another job...I was thinking maybe tutoring but like I actually really kinda suck at explaining things logically (I think. People never seem to really understand me idk) so what if I like tutor someone to fail. Ugh. So maybe not.
> 
> Anyway! Io it was just a stressful day. i was thinking of all the ways i've been feeling unhappy this summer and it just built and built until I was being snappy with my brother for no reason and just in a Very Bad Mood. Which doesn't happen too often. Sigh. Well, glad that's over.
> 
> Finally, some more Adrinette! Of course it's almost 3x longer than the first two chaps lol. Don't worry, we'll get some Adrien POV eventually, get some insight into his first impressions of Mari, get some more Nino and Alya POVs, will probably do Alix and Kim and Rose and Juleka and Nath too. They're in the plans (the plans in my head ahahahahahahahaahahaaaa not on paper.)
> 
> Lemme know your thoughts, if there's anything you wanna see, if I have mistakes, if you wanna rant about your bad day, anything! :D Title from the song "Bad Day" (I know, I know, but it's fitting, right?)
> 
> SORRY MY NOTES ARE SO LONG OMG. I'M JUST A TALKATIVE PERSON FOR NO REASON...................oh in case any of you were curious, I did apply for that tutoring job, had a couple phone calls with a manager, but he never emailed me an actual result. So. Technically it's all STILL in limbo, but there's no way I'm working there now lol. OH WELL.


	4. subject the first: marinette

Alya smiles and waves. "Hello and welcome to the Ladyblog! Today I'd like to officially introduce you to someone who has been in a few of my videos before. She is one of the most important people in my life and is, by all accounts, a normal girl. But—well, you'll see."

She snaps her fingers and the video transitions to a clip of Marinette perusing a fabric store with her utmost concentration, her face scrunched up cutely as her fingers softly trail across different fabrics.

"This is my best friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Alya's voice speaks as Marinette continues to browse. "She's an aspiring fashion designer and she loves making clothes for other people. Honestly, I think half of my wardrobe is made up of her designs. Pretty much all of her wardrobe is homemade."

Cut to a cute little bakery on a street corner. "This is the bakery owned by her parents. They live on the floors above it. Their pastries are the most delicious pieces of edible heaven that I've ever had the pleasure of eating, and her parents are two of the sweetest people you could ever meet.

"This is Marinette in her natural habitat." The screen flashes black and then a messy wooden desk fills the screen, Marinette poring over the papers and fabrics cluttering it. "She spends nearly all of her free time here, designing and creating. And stressing out! Just look at her. That is _not_ the face of a well-rested university student."

"Alya, stop filming me," Marinette speaks on screen, not even bothering to look up. Her pigtails are coming apart but she either hasn't noticed or doesn't care enough to fix them.

"Can't. Project, and all that," Alya replies from behind the camera.

Marinette exhales in exasperation and finally turns to Alya. Her large blue eyes are startling in their intensity, compounded by the dark eye bags under them. " _Alya_."

" _Marinette_." Aly'as voice is disapproving. "Look at you. You haven't slept in days and you barely remember to eat. Or drink milk." Alya's voice is teasing.

Marinette blushes a little at an inside joke not privy to the audience. "Alya! I just—I have to finish this today! It's due tomorrow, you know, and I've barely begun sewing and—" She huffs. "I don't have time. There's still so much to do—and the fitting—"

"Oh-ho, yes, the fitting." Alya sounds sly. "I'll _definitely_ be filming that. That's gonna be a good time."

"Alya!" Marinette's face is full red now. "Don't you dare! Give me your phone!"

"No way!" The camera jitters and shakes as Alya quickly moves away and the last scene of the clip is Marinette lunging towards her.

Alya fills the screen again. "So that went well." She rolls her eyes. "She banned me from the studio after that, but _this_ reporter has her ways." She grins wickedly.

Green blurs the screen, and then adjusts to form leaves. Alya wrestles the plant into a comfortable position with a clear view of Marinette's work space. Marinette and a tall blond boy with green eyes and a wide smile are standing next to her mannequins, looking over the clothes she's made. One is a black suit made predominantly of leather and clearly resembles a black cat. The other is a puffy dress, black on top and black-spotted red on the high-low skirt, much like a ladybug. Matching feathery masks stand tall in Marinette's fist.

"Get a load of those outfits," Alya whispers excitedly. "Some of her best work so far, I think. Aren't they _gorgeous_?" Then the camera zooms in on the boy. "Now get a load of _him_. Adrien Agreste, people. The prettiest of pretty boys."

She zooms out and falls silent as she watches Adrien and Marinette talk. They look over the clothes and point at different things, perhaps flaws. Marinette hands Adrien the black mask and her lifts it to his face to try it out. Marinette mirrors him and they grin at each other. He reaches out and tugs one of her pigtails playfully, laughing when she pouts and pokes him in the side. He immediately squeaks and flails, evidence of being very ticklish.

"They are so disgustingly _cute_ ," Alya intones, sounding appalled. "God, how do they _live_ with themselves?"

The video fast-forwards to the two trying on the clothes, still full of pins and not completely sewn together. Adrien reappears first, looking utterly dashing in the fitted shirt and fitted pants, a long black tail trailing him. He pulls on the green vest and buttons up and just as he's reaching for the suit jacket, Marinette appears, looking fidgety and uncomfortable but no less beautiful because of it.

Alya snickers. "Look at that _face_ , oh my god. That is the face of a mortal looking at a goddess. Oh, he's blushing, how a _dor_ able! He can't even speak. Aw, and look at Marinette, blushing just as hard and—not watching where she's going, of course, _oh_ —"

Marinette trips on something and Adrien shakes himself out of his stupor just in time to catch her. He says something to her, smirking (though still pink), and Marinette rears back, face blazing as she glares at him and scolds. He just stands there, smiling and watching her.

"Good ole Marinette," Alya sighs. "Her clumsiness is almost a physical thing. Her luck too, though." She focuses on the two again.

Adrien slides into the suit jacket and adds the cat ears and bell, and Alya coos. Marinette ties her hair up in long red ribbons. They make quite a striking pair.

Alya whistles. "If she doesn't get a full score on this project, I'm gonna have some complaining to do."

Suddenly, Marinette turns and her eyes narrow on the plant Alya is using as cover, but obviously not very effectively, because Marinette's eyes widen in horror and she beelines towards the camera.

"Uh-oh, gotta go!" squeals Alya.

Cut to black.

"Actually, I was wrong before. _This_ is Marinette in her natural habitat." On screen, Marinette is pacing back and forth with no signs of tiring, ranting at an incredible speed and gesturing wildly. She throws her hands up in frustration when she notices Alya's camera.

"Why are you filming this? Alya, did you not even hear me? I can't believe I lost the key to the studio! I still have so much left to do—"

Marinette's voice fades through the clip continues and Alya's voice-over steps in. "She likes to worry, but I always tell her she wouldn't be _nearly_ so stressed if she didn't say yes to everything. Obviously, there are her projects for school, but also helping out at the bakery on weekends? Also making clothes for friends' birthdays, and helping them with _their_ projects, and _not eating or sleeping_? I don't know why she does this to herself."

Marinette's voice fades back in. "—and I just—I have so many ideas for other things, but I have to finish this first, and ughhh! Alya!" She turns on the camera suddenly. "Why haven't you been taking care of yourself? Filming during the day, editing at night! And _you_ scold _me_! You're gonna pass out soon, you hypocrite, so help me—"

Alya's amused voice chimes back in, "Aww, look, she cares."

"—can't even work, so let's just eat! Oh my gosh, let's watch movies and eat ice cream, we haven't done that in forever!" Marinette claps her hands, suddenly enthusiastic. "Let's just chill a little tonight and be healthy—well, not _really_ healthy, but healthy like actually doing human things, you know?—and tomorrow we can worry about our projects! Good idea?" Marinette beams at Alya.

Alya sighs fondly and reaches out for a hug. The screen turns black and fuzzy.

"Love you, Al."

"Love you too, Mari."

The clip ends and Alya reappears on the screen, as she had in the very beginning. Her face quirks into a smile. "So that's my best friend. Mari's a force of nature, isn't she? Passionate, clumsy, thoughtful, proud. I'm so lucky and honored to know her so well and for so long. I hope you enjoyed this video! If you see Mari on campus, don't hesitate to say hi, she'll love it. But _don't_ ask her to make clothes for you. Only _I_ get to do that." Alya levels a dark look at the camera, then grins brightly and waves. "Au revoir!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I realize now that this chapter was kind of just another Adrinette chap except from Alya's POV lol. I was gonna include the scene of Mari and Adrien actually modeling the finished clothes for class but I thought the fitting would be cuter. Also the focus was not meant to be Adrinette. It was supposed to be Alya's choice of Mari as the subject of her video as well as their friendship. I hope that came across somewhat. Lemme know what you think! This is experimental for me; describing a video is actually pretty hard. I don't think it flows very well but. Well. I tried. Sorry no new characters were introduced this time, I considered including a scene of Chloe being Chloe and Mari telling her off but couldn't really fit it in and I think I'll just intro Chloe a different way later. :D


	5. anything you can do i can do better

Alix and Kim have a recurring bet that crops up about once a month. It all started five years ago, when they first met, and Kim jeeringly bet that he could run faster than Alix could skate. They tied, and they’ve been trying to one-up each other ever since.

Most of their bets are silly things, with punishments like eating really spicy food or singing loudly in public. But for this particular bet, Kim and Alix like to stipulate more intense punishments.

“So when’s the punishment happening?” Marinette asks as they pack up their lunches.

Alix grins excitedly, recalling Kim’s loss last week. “I’m gonna find the sucker right now, since neither of us have class. It’s too bad you and Alya can’t come watch!”

Marinette sighed long-sufferingly. “I hate projects.”

“I’ll send you pics,” Alix chuckles. “It’s gonna be so awesome.”

“What are you making him do this time? You haven’t told me yet.”

“I haven’t told  _ anyone _ yet. It’s a surprise.”

“Not even Kim?”

“Especially not Kim!” Alix cackles. “He’s such a wimp when it comes to pain, so I don’t wanna give him the chance to run away.”

“Alix,” Marinette scolds. “Don’t hurt the poor boy!”

Alix waves a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, Mari, it’s a necessary pain. The end result is gonna be so cool. He’s probably gonna love it, though he’ll never admit it.”

Marinette raises her eyebrows curiously. “Really? Now I  _ really _ wanna know what’s happening.”

They laugh together before bidding each other goodbye. Marinette sets off in one direction, and Alix skates away in the other.

She knows exactly where her big buffoon rival is. She arrives at the gym and zooms in, waving at the receptionist who has long given up on getting Alix to take off her skates and walk. Weaving her way to the treadmills, she spots the back of his head and chuckles.

Silently, she glides up behind him and just as she’s about to jab him in the ass, he looks over his shoulder and grins.

“Hey, shortstack.”

Alix groans in frustration and stomps her way around the treadmill to face him, crossing her arms. “How do you always know?”

Laughing, Kim turns off the machine and hops down beside her, wiping away his sweat with a towel. Alix unwittingly allows her eyes to trail down from his glistening face to his broad shoulders and fit torso, clad in nothing but a sweaty tank top.

“So whatcha need me for?” Kim asks before inhaling half a gallon of water.

Alix smirks and tilts her head back haughtily. “Have you forgotten? You owe me a punishment. I’m collecting.”

Kim wipes his mouth and sighs, rolling his eyes good-humoredly. “Kid, please. I’ve been waiting.  I thought I’d give you some time to think of something good. Or at least, not as lame as skinny-dipping.”

She huffs. “That was not lame! If I recall, you were really fucking embarrassed about it. I have evidence!”

He turns red and hisses, “I thought you got rid of that!”

“Yeah, right. Why would I get rid of blackmail material?” She grins smugly. “Though you knew me better than that.”

“Hey, I’ve got blackmail material too!” Kim reaches forward and ruffles her hair.

“Don’t touch me with your sweat!” She smacks his hand and glares. “Hurry up and sanitize yourself, you big lump. I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Sure you don’t wanna join me?” he leers at her teasingly.

She shoves him and he laughs before heading off to the showers.

“Ugh, he’s so annoying,” Alix mutters to herself, hands clapped over her red cheeks. The guy’s hot, she admits, but his personality leaves much to be desired.

Just as she starts to get fidgety, Kim walks out of the gym, still shaking water from his hair.

“What are you, a dog?” she jokes, ducking away from the flying water droplets. “Stop, ew!”

He runs a hand through his hair, smiling at her, and she thinks it’s so unfair that he’s so pretty.

“So? Where we goin’?” He jogs in place, eager to see what she’s cooked up.

“Follow me!” She takes off down the street, knowing without looking that he’s running after her.

Ten minutes later, they’re arguing outside Lionheart Tattoo and Piercings Parlor. Kim freezes at the sight of the shop and immediately turns around, but Alix latches onto his arm and holds him back.

“Where are you going? Your punishment is in there!”

Kim glares down at her. “I’m not getting anything pierced or tattooed!”

“But it’s your punishment! Beside, didn’t you say you wanted a tattoo? I’m just fulfilling your wishes here!” Alix protested.

“I was—I was joking!” he exclaims. “I don’t even—c’mon Alix, this isn’t fair!”

“Don’t be a wimp.” Alix rolls her eyes impatiently. “It’s not like you’re getting ‘LOSER’ tattooed on your forehead, though I did consider it. It’ll be small and not completely stupid. You’ll like it, I promise. Don’t you trust me?” She makes puppy eyes at him.

Tearing at his hair, he groans and storms into the parlor. “Shit! Fine, but I swear to god, Alix—”

“Don’t worry! I know you’re scared of pain, but it shouldn’t hurt too much!” She quickly follows him in, pushing at his back.

“I’m not scared!” he shouts unconvincingly, leaning back against her hands. “I’m not!”

There’s a long glass counter displaying jewelry, and behind it is a pink-haired worker who perks up immediately. “Alix! Finally gonna get something done today?”

“Hey, Janie. Not me.” Alix jerks her thumb towards a flighty Kim behind her. “This guy here is getting a tattoo. I talked with Serena and Bill about it a couple weeks ago.”

“You know these people?” Kim hisses into her ear, eyes darting skittishly around the shop.

“‘Cause of my skater friends,” Alix answers quietly. “Now stop being rude, you idiot!”

Janie raises a pierced brow skeptically. “He is? Doesn’t seem too eager.”

“He lost a bet,” Alix explains simply, and Janie nods in understanding.

“Well, you’re in luck. Serena just got back from her break and she doesn’t have any customers right now, so let’s just get the paperwork done and then you can head straight back in.”

“Paperwork?” Kim repeats, looking queasy.

Alix rolls her eyes and yanks him forward. “Consent forms and stuff. C’mon Kim, get your shit together.”

“ _ I’m _ the one being forced to get a tattoo—which is  _ permanent _ , by the way—I don’t even want,” he grinds out. “I think I have a right to be unhappy.”

Alix frowns and turns to look him in the eyes. “Are you not okay with this? Like,  _ really  _ not okay? The only reason I chose this is ‘cause...look, I wouldn’t choose something really stupid to put on your body forever. But if this is really bothering you, you don’t have to do it. I won’t even make fun of you.”

He stares at her for several long seconds before closing his eyes and exhaling, his shoulders slumping. “God, Alix. Shit. Okay. I trust you. Hell if I know why.”

Janie, having watched their conversation in quiet amusement, clears her throat and slides a few papers across the counter. “Kim, is it? If you could just fill these out for me, please, and then we’ll work out the pricing.”

“Oh, I’m paying,” Alix says quickly.

Kim looks impressed.

Alix notices. “What? I’m not heartless.”

“I have my doubts,” he mutters, chuckling when she punches his arm, and starts in on the paperwork.

Alix follows Janie to the register and explains the reasonable price she had settled with Serena and Billy. Janei nods and the payment process is done within a few minutes.

“So,” Janie says as she stuffs a bag full of tattoo aftercare instructions and products, “how long have you two been together?”

“What?” Alix rips her gaze from Kim so fast she sees white.

Janie looks up and blinks. “You and him. You’re dating, right?”

“ _ What!? _ No!” Alix’s face contorts elaborately. “No, how—where did you—what even— _ what!? _ ”

“Oh, sorry.” Janie looks mildly surprised. “You two act like a couple. A cute one, too.”

“What—no—we—I don’t—oh my god— _ don’t let him hear you _ ,” Alix whispers vehemently. “I can’t believe you thought that!”

Janie bursts into bright laughter. “Girl, if you could watch the way you two act around each other, you’d know why I thought that.”

“I—I—I—”

“Hey, I’m done.” Kim notices Alix gaping at him in shock and frowns. “What? Why are you so surprised? I read pretty fast.”

Janie snickers, accepting the papers. “I said something that caught her off-guard. Alright, looks like everything is in order, so just follow the hallway to the back room and Serena will help you out.”

“Thanks.” Kim nods and looks at Alix. “Well? Let’s go.”

She bites her lip and glares at Janie once more before stalking off. “This way!”

“What did she say to get you so worked up?” Kim asks bemusedly.

“Nothing!” Alix denies instantly. “Nothing at all!”

“Alix—”

“Serena! Hi!” Alix loudly greets a tall, heavily pierced and tattooed woman with smoky eyes and a wicked smile.

“Alix, hey!” Serena wraps Alix in a hug as Kim stares like a deer in headlights.

“Remember that tattoo I told you about before? It’s for him.”

Serena looks up. “Oh-ho, I  _ see _ .”

Alix bristles defensively at her knowing tone. “What? What do you see?”

Smirking, Serena saunters over to Kim and appraises him. “What’s your name?”

“Kim,” he replies stiffly, eyes darting to Alix.

“Hm. Are you good to Alix?”

Alix groans like a dying cat. “Serena!”

“Uh, what?” Kim glances between the two girls in confusion. “I—I guess? I mean, I wouldn’t hurt her or anything.”

Serena clicks her tongue. “You seem like a nice enough guy. Alright, let’s get started on your tattoo.”

Alix slaps her face.

“What was that about?” Kim whispers in her ear as he sits down.

“Nothing,” she mumbles. “Serena, here’s the design.” She pulls out a neatly folded sheet of paper from her pocket.

“Shit,  _ you _ designed it?” Kim groans. “I’m screwed.”

Alix shoots him a look that could kill. “Shut up, ass. I got Marinette to sketch it for me.”

“Oh, thank god.” Kim slumps in relief. “How’s she been, by the way? I haven’t seen her lately.”

“Busy, as always.”

“Ooh, this is very nice. Who drew this?” Serena looks up from the sketch curiously.

“A friend of ours named Marinette. She’s a fashion designer,” Alix explains.

“No wonder. This is excellent. Not too detailed for such a small tattoo, but still attractive.”

Kim cranes his neck, trying to catch a glimpse. “What is it? Is it girly? Alix, if it’s a flower—”

“Calm down and stop tryna peek. You’re not seeing it till it’s done.”

He groans.

“So, ankle, right?” Serena asks, and Alix nods.

“Wait, wait, my ankle?” Kim interrupts again. “Where all the bone is? Isn’t that one of the most painful areas to get a tattoo? Alix!”

“Kim, shut up!” Alix whirls on him. “Don’t be a baby! It’s a badass tattoo, and it’s gonna curl  _ around _ your ankle bone, and it’s gonna be awesome, okay!”

Serena laughs at them. “Alright, settle down, children. You two argue like an old married couple, how cute.”

“ _ What!? _ ”

“So you  _ do _ agree on something!” Serena grins and claps. “Alright, let’s get started.”

The tattoo is so small that it only takes a hour to finish—an hour of Kim’s pale and sweaty face, an hour of Alix’s small hand being crushed in his—and the end result looks really cool.

Alix admires the little wing curved around Kim’s ankle, satisfied. She nods. “Okay Kim, you can look now.”

“Finally!” Muttering under his breath, he opens his eyes and leans forward at his propped-up foot, squinting. A minute of scrutiny passes and he sits back but shows no reaction.

Alix stares at him pointedly. “So?”

“It’s okay,” he grumbles, not meeting her eyes.

She grins and pumps her fist victoriously. “Yes! You love it! I knew you would. See? I told you so!”

“It’s—whatever. I don’t  _ love _ it.”

“See, it’s a wing and it’s on your foot ‘cause like, you run really fast, y’know?” she rambles eagerly, ignoring him. “It would be better if you’d gotten it on both ankles, but whatever. I told you you’d like it!”

She beams at him and he scoffs with a smile. “Yeah, yeah. I hope you know revenge is coming,”

Alix smiles. “I look forward to it.”

(A week later, he does get a matching wing tattooed on his opposite ankle but he doesn’t tell her. She notices when they go to the beach several weeks later, and all she gives him is a look, but it’s enough to induce stammering and a telltale pink on his cheeks that they both know isn’t sunburn.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is way longer than it was supposed to be.
> 
> hello, i'm back! sorry i took longer than expected! this time we have some heartrate because i love them, they're adorable, their dynamic is adorable, there's so much potential, THEY'RE GR8. i'm not fully clear on the tattoo process (i did a bit of research but) or tattoo pricing, so pretend it all makes sense lol. (i do need to get clear on it all though because i do plan on getting some tattoos in the future. in fact, kim's tattoos are the very tattoos i want on my ankles not cuz i'm a fast runner though oh lord no ahhaahaahahaaaa. i also have a few other ideas that tbh i'll probably get to first.)
> 
> i'm excited for future brotp/squad chapters cuz, let's be real, they would all be such a cool group of friends amirite or amirite. i want them to be my friend gdi. this story is definitely gonna be more about relationships and character-building than plot/world-building (i'm sorry if you're not into that? here's advance notice) because people are just so INTERESTING ya know? anyhoo.
> 
> enjoy! let me know what you think, who you wanna see next, who you wanna see more of, who you never wanna see, anything! i'm all ears. next update may be a while, fair warning; i'm making my rounds through all of my fandoms so. see yaaaaaaaaaaaaa


	6. model status

" _ Mariiiiii! _ "

She startled, her head flying up from her forearms to see Rose running at her. 

Yawning—she had, of course, pulled an all-nighter sewing and adding final touches to her most recent project—she stretched her arms over her head and rubbed her eyes blearily. "Huh—wha?"

"Mari!" Rose slid into the seat across form Marinette and leaned forward with wide, rapt eyes. "You know  _ Adrien _ ?"

"Hm?" Marinette hid another yawn.

"You  _ know _ , Adrien Agreste! Oh, Jules, over here!"

Mari turned and smiled at an approaching Juleka. "Um, yeah, I know him. Why?"

"Omigosh,  _ Mari _ !" Rose screeched.

Marinette and other innocent onlookers winced. Juleka rolled her eyes fondly as she sat down beside Rose, giving her a kiss on the cheek and waving at Marinette.

"What are you yelling about now?" Juleka asked, raising her eyebrows at Marinette, who simply shrugged in confusion.

"Mari knows Adrien and she didn't  _ tell  _ us!" Rose whined dramatically to her girlfriend, pouting.

"Was I...supposed to tell you?" Marinette questioned hesitantly, glancing between the two girls.

Juleka looked just as confused.

Rose groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Of  _ course _ you were, Mari, you  _ know  _ I'm always looking for someone to model with Adrien for my pictures! Someone he actually likes and doesn’t scare him with crazy fangirling!"

Marinette flushed a little, but her eyes widened and she leaned forward, exclaiming, "The model you always take pictures of is  _ Adrien _ ? Rose! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did!"

"No, you didn't!"

"No, love, you didn't," Juleka chimed in calmly, smiling when Rose froze before she could retort.

"I...I didn't? Oh." Rose bit her lip. "My bad.  _ Anyway _ !"

Marinette giggled and Juleka suppressed a mirthful laugh.

"My  _ point  _ is, now  _ you  _ can model with Adrien and I can take pictures!" Rose declared excitedly.

Marinette looked uncertain. "Oh...I don't know, Rose, I'm not much of a model. You know that."

Rose waved her hand dismissively. "Nonsense, Mari. I saw those pictures of you two modeling off your project. Terrible quality, those. Your clothes deserve  _ much  _ better resolution than that," she sniffed haughtily. 

Marinette squeaked. "P-p-p-pictures? Of—of—"

"Yes, they were online everywhere for a while," Juleka explained. "You didn't see them?"

Marinette shook her head rapidly, squeaking again.

"Huh. Adrien didn't see them either?" Juleka asked Rose.

"No, you know how he is. Too  _ busy  _ to tune into internet gossip and stuff." Rose turned back to Marinette with a determined glint in her bright eyes. "Mari. Tell me. Yes or  _ yes _ ?"

"You're not really giving me much a choice, are you?" Marinette said dryly, but smiled. "I don't know, Rose...I don't wanna mess up your photoshoots. I don't know how to model at all."

"That's why you'll have Adrien! Also, I've  _ always  _ wanted to take pictures of you modeling your clothes. You know that."

Juleka chuckled and looked at Marinette sympathetically. "Mari, you know she won't let this go till you agree."

Marinette sighed, shaking her head helplessly. "Alright, alright, I'll do it, but don't blame me if I mess everything up!"

Rose squealed and clapped her hands like a seal. " _ Yay _ ! Okay, so usually Adrien models for me Saturday mornings. I don't know if that works for you—"

"It does," Marinette confirmed, flipping through the calendar on her phone. "I usually keep Saturdays free for homework."

"Perfect! Juleka can do her make-up magic, as  _ always _ , and I'll see if Max or Nath have time to do lighting..."

Marinette smiled softly as Rose rambles on, making a note in her calendar.

"Oh, and Mari, I know I said I wanted you to model your clothes, but if you don't have anything—"

"You're in luck, actually," Marinette interrupted gently, grinning. "I just finished a project for my couples design class! I was gonna ask Adrien to help me model again anyway, so this works out well."

"You are  _ so  _ reliable, Mari." Rose blew her a kiss and then hauled Juleka bodily out of her chair. "Well, it seems we have places to be, people to see! Mari, we'll be off. Jules, let's go!"

Marinette waved mirthfully as Rose dragged a resigned Juleka away.

Her phone buzzed as she packed up to go to her next class, and she answered distractedly.

"Hello?"

_ "Um, Marinette?" _

She gasped and nearly dropped her phone, fumbling with it before slamming it back against her ear. "A-Adrien?”

_ "Yeah, did I catch you at a bad time? I'm sorry—" _

"Oh, no! No, I-I just wasn't expecting you to call me. Um, did you need something from me?"

_ "Well..." _ Adrien sounded both confused and embarrassed.  _ "I just got a call from Rose but...she spouted off a bunch of gibberish and then told me to call you for details. So..." _

Marinette groaned. " _ Rose _ ."

He made an amused sound.  _ "It's not big deal. It's nice to hear your voice." _

Silence.

_ "U-um! I mean! I d-don't—that is, uh—" _

"Th-thank you," Marinette blurted softly, her free hand clutched onto a burning cheek. "It's nice to hear your voice too."

Adrien must have choked on something because he proceeded to cough violently for several moments.  _ "O-oh! Um, thanks. Um." _

Marinette cleared her throat in embarrassment. "R-right! So, Rose."

_ "Rose! Yes, that's—that's why I called." _

"Right, so basically, um, she just found out that we know each other and enlisted me as, um, as a model for your Saturday morning photoshoots."

_ "Oh. That's great! It does get a bit boring posing alone all the time." _

Marinette bit her lip. "I hope—I mean, I'm not sure exactly how professional her photoshoots are but—well, I'm no model, after all, so I hope I don't bring you down—"

_ "Mari, what are you talking about? You're a natural. Half the professional models I've worked with could never wear your clothes. They'd never pull it off." _

"Oh! Thank you...I'm sure that's not true, they're professionals, after all!" Marinette fanned herself energetically, willing her face to return to its regular color.

Adrien snorted.  _ "It's not quite as hard to be a model as you'd think." He cleared his throat. "So, I'll see you this Saturday?" _

"Mm-hm! Bright and early!" Marinette frowned. "Actually, Rose didn't tell me when or where to meet you."

_ "We usually meet around nine, by the fountain." _

"Oh, perfect! Yes, I'll see you there. Oh, that's right! I was meaning to ask you anyway...um, would you mind modeling my clothes again? For a project...again. It's okay if you can't! But Rose wanted pictures and...I kind of reused your measurements..."

Adrien chuckled. It shivered into her ear and down her spine.  _ "I don't mind! Anything for—um, a friend. 'Cause we're—friends." _

Marinette smiled softly, nodding to herself, content to let her crush simmer for a while longer.    
There was no rush. They were still getting to know each other and friendship was just what they needed. "Mm. Friends."

_ "So, uh, friend" _ —his voice cracked a little and he cleared it loudly— _ "uh, do you...I mean, if you have time...maybe after the photoshoot..." _

"Yes?"

_ "Would you like to get lunch with me?" _ he asked quickly, his words tripping into each other.

She squealed softly. "That w-would be great. Got somewhere in mind?"

He hummed.  _ "I think I heard about a new place opening up near the dorms..." _

"Oh, I heard about it too! I think a couple of my friends, Ivan and Mylene, tried it out and said it was really good."

_ "Alright, so there then?" _

"Okay. Oh!" Marinette gasped. "What about Rose and Juleka and whoever else will be there?"

_ "Based on previous experience, they're usually too busy right after," _ Adrien explained.  _ "We can ask though." _

Marinette nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her and made a noise of affirmation. "Oh, I have to go to class now. I'll...talk to you later?"

_ "Yes! I'll call you or...you can call me. Whenever.” _

"Whenever?" Marinette grinned giddily to herself. "Are you sure about that?"

_ "Completely." _ His voice was breathless and serious.

"You can't regret saying that when I call you at three in the morning," she sang, skipping her way to class.

Adrien laughed.  _ "I won't. Bye, Mari." _

"Bye, Adrien."

Marinette hung up and stared at her phone for several long seconds before holding it tight to her chest and screeching silently, sprinting to class with all the happiness in her body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> couldn't help throwing that last bit of fluff in. xD
> 
> sorry it's kind of a boring chapter! i wanted to introduce some more new characters (YAY ROSE AND JULEKA WHEEE) but also show them interacting with previously intro'd characters. and ofc since i chose mari, had to throw in some adrien, i mean i just gotta.
> 
> ALSO absolutely no offense meant to any models out there, i know modeling is very difficult but there gotta be some uh underwhelming models out there right? right? (let's just pretend for the sake of this story)


	7. bonne année

Adrien checks his hair in the mirror one last time before blowing out a breath and exiting the bathroom. He makes his way back to the living room, where the party is still raging. He sits down, content to watch his friends have fun and make fools of themselves for the last time this year.

He grins at Kim and Alix having a drinking contest, laughing when he catches Rose, Juleka, Max, Ivan, and Mylene betting on the winner. He sees Alya and Nino cuddled together, deep in private conversation, and feels ecstatic that his best friend has found "the girl."

Adrien tries not to frown at Nathanael, redheaded artist who has a _very_ healthy crush on Marinette. He's a nice guy, to be sure, but he's known and liked Marinette for so much longer than Adrien, and he can't help feeling jealous.

Adrien sighs, pulling out his phone to text Marinette.

To: My Lady (déc 31 / 23:42:32) _  
My Lady, wherefore art thou? The party's in full swing! Everyone's drunk already lol._

From: My Lady (déc 31 / 23:45:12)  
 _Sorry, sorry! We had a lot of last-minute orders at the bakery. I'm on my way!_

To: My Lady (déc 31 / 23:46:58)  
 _Okay, see you soon. I miss you._

Adrien gasps at his phone in horror. "No! No, I didn't—I was gonna delete that! No! Argh! She'll think I'm clingy!"

His phone beeps, showing that she replied. He gulps and shakily opens the text.

From: My Lady (déc 31 / 23:50:34)  
 _Silly kitty. I miss you too._

Adrien feels his entire face burn and he almost fails to suppress his caterwaul of utter happiness. She misses him too, even though they saw each other at the holiday party last week.

He melts into the couch as he recalls, for the _n_ th time, what happened at the party. He and Marinette had been enjoying a wonderful conversation on the merits of tea versus coffee—incredibly important, incredibly relevant to the world at large—and walking towards the kitchen for more treats (which Marinette had helped bake and were absolutely _delicious_ ; if Adrien hadn't already been irreversibly in love with her by then, her pastries would've won him over in a snap) when suddenly Alya had appeared next to Marinette and hip-checked her. She'd giggled at both Adrien and Marinette's looks of confusion before pointing to the ceiling and flouncing away. They had exchanged baffled looks before simultaneously tilting their heads upwards.

And they'd immediately gasped and turned redder than cherries.

Marinette had been obviously tense and prepared to bolt, but Adrien had been panicking as he desperately tried to think of a way to kiss her without seeming too creepy or forward. She'd glanced at him, bit her lip, and apologized profusely before launching into a hasty speech about—well, frankly, Adrien had been too busy staring at her pink lips and her blue, blue eyes to really process her words. All he really remembers is leaning down, mesmerized by her, and asking very softly if she would mind very much if he kissed her.

He remembers her eyes widening and her hair shimmering blue in the holiday lights as she shook her head no.

And then their lips had touched and Adrien has floated on clouds ever since.

The holiday season marks the busiest time of year for her parents' bakery, so he hasn't had a chance to see her since then. Adrien is nervous and excited because they haven't talked about _anything_ , and he hasn't asked her officially to be his girlfriend yet, but he thinks she likes him and he thinks she'll say yes when he _does_ ask and he's just so fabulously _happy_ to be in love with her.

The doorbell rings and Adrien shoots to his feet, practically a blur as he reaches the door and yanks it open. And—

_There she is._

She's bundled up in a beanie and a scarf and exhaling a cloud into her mittened hands and her cheeks are pink and her lips are red and her eyes are blue and she's so _colorful_ —Adrien can't help but reach out and hug her as tight as he can.

"Oh!" she squeaks before hugging him back.

"Mari," he breathes. "You're here."

"Hi, Adrien," she greets him shyly, pulling back to look at him. Her lashes are dotted with snowflakes and he can't believe how happy she is to see him. "You're wearing it! Inside?"

"Huh?" He glances down at himself and sees the blue scarf she knitted for him, still wrapped snugly around his neck. He's worn it ever since she gave it to him, taking it off only when necessary. "Oh yeah."

"Isn't it warm?"

He shrugs and smiles at her. "You made it."

She blushes beautifully and Adrien stares.

"Is that my girl? Adrien, let her in, she looks frozen!" Alya calls out from behind him as she runs down the hall and throws herself at Marinette.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" He quickly steps aside and allows the best friends to hug, shutting the door behind them.

"You're so late, everyone's already drunk," Alya laughs, tugging Marinette back to the living room.

"I know, Adrien told me."

"Oh, he _did_ , did he?" Alya glances back at Adrien and he looks at her pleadingly. She studies him for a second before nodding and dropping Marinette's hand. "Looks like he needs to talk to ya. Join us when you're done, okay?"

"What?" Marinette looks at Adrien and finds him smiling bashfully at her. "Oh! Okay, I'll be there soon."

Alya leaves and Adrien heaves a sigh as Marinette turns the full force of her curious gaze back on him.

"What did you need to tell me?" she asks, stepping closer as she starts pulling off layers of clothes.

He moves forward to help her, gently lifting the beanie from her head and smoothing down her hair, then unwinding her scarf from around her neck. He notices that she's wearing the ladybug necklace he gave her and his fingers trail across her collarbone, caressing the pendant.

She shivers and takes another step into him. Suddenly, there's barely an inch of space left between their bodies, and every part of Adrien is hyper-aware of every part of her. She blinks up at him with a question in her eyes.

He takes a deep breath—and jumps in shock when their friends start yelling a countdown to the new year.

She jumps a little too. Then look at each other blankly before dissolving into laughter, cutting through the nervous tension between them.

"So what were you gonna say?" Marinette asks again, still snickering, and he remembered her nerves.

" _Ten! Nine!_ "

"I, uh, I wanted to, um—" Adrien swallows, his hand absently rising to brush a strand of hair out of her face. "I—um, about last week, at the—the party, and the m-mistletoe..."

He hesitates, and she makes a quiet sound of acknowledgment.

" _Eight! Seven! Six!_ "

"We—well, we never actually, y'know, _talked_ about it but, uh, I just—I wanted to be _clear_ , y'know, 'cause I—well, I really like you, Mari. And I—I really liked, um, k-kissing you."

He swears his face has never been so feverish. He feels faint as he watches understanding dawn in her eyes. The pink of her cheeks flares into a deep red and she gulps as well.

" _Five! Four!_ "

"Adrien, I—"

" _Three!_ "

"I, um, I really—I really, um l-l-li—"

" _Two!_ "

She exhales harshly, clearly frustrated with herself. Adrien thinks she looks adorable, even if she's about to reject him (which is, of course, a possibility; why hadn't he thought it was a possibility?).

" _One!_ "

"Ireallylikeyoutoo!" she blurts out in one breath before gripping his scarf tightly, springing onto her toes, and kissing his wits out of him.

" _Happy new year!_ "

She tastes sweet, from the bakery, like sugar and bread, like all of his dreams coming true. She makes a little noise when he remembers he has arms and uses them to trap her against his chest, getting rid of any space between them and responding enthusiastically to her lips on his. It nearly fries his brain, and he slides one hand up her back to tangle in her hair so he can kiss her harder.

The sound of their friends cheering in celebration slowly seeps back into his consciousness as the kiss slows and he pulls away. They're both panting, and Adrien thinks he sees the rapid-fire flash of a cell phone camera, but it's gone when he squints.

Soft hands touch his cheeks and Adrien is drawn back into Marinette's gravity, easy as breathing. She's looking at him like she can't believe her good luck, but Adrien knows that, despite being Chat Noir, he's the lucky one.

"So," he drawls, "you're my g-girlfriend now, right?"

Marinette grins mischievously, her fingers still tracing his features and playing with his hair. "I don't recall agreeing to any such thing, Chat Noir."

He smiles, wide and silly, as he sways their bodies to the rhythm of their hearts. "Why, Ladybug, I believe it's called 'reading between the lines.'"

She rolls her eyes and pecks him on the mouth, eyes wide with affection. Adrien can scarcely believe how natural their newfound intimacy feels.

"Is that enough answer for you?" she asks playfully.

He scrunches his nose and shakes his head. "Mm, no, I think I need to hear it again."

She laughs, loud and free, and it rings in his head as they kiss again and again.

It's already shaping up to be an excellent new year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i've been gone so long! i was actually planning an xmas update, but i was on a trip with mah fam, so it didn't work out. have some new year's fluff instead! yes they're finally together lmao, the next few updates are probably gonna be things that happen before this chapter. so it's out of order now! oh well xD
> 
> this was supposed to be a lot shorter, but the fluff got away from me (as always tbh). there are some parts i don't really like, but i'm too lazy to revise, so have version 1.0, lol. this is my first update of the year 2017! le gasp! see you in the next update (hopefully soonish)!


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